I'm in need of better Karma and just bought the new CD, Instant Karma, Amnesty International's Campaign to Save Darfur. More than 50 top musicians – Green Day, Avril Lavigne, U2, R.E.M. and many others – have made original recordings of John Lennon’s songs. A portion of revenue from Instant Karma music downloads and CD sales will directly support Amnesty International’s human rights work. Yoko Ono generously granted rights to Lennon’s entire solo songbook to Amnesty International.

So far my favorite songs on the CD are Working Class Hero by Green Day and Real Love by Regina Spektor. Buy your copy it's for a good cause! FYI -- they are sold out at the downtown Future Shop in Vancouver. There's still a few copies at A&B Sound. And sign this global petition to Prime Minister Harper to work with other global leaders on ending the violence in Darfur.

This is a prescient topic given the current meetings underway today in Paris. (See NYT article). The international conference is aimed at speeding up the deployment of peacekeeping troops in Sudan's troubled Darfur region. Canada's Foreign Minister Peter MacKay is to join foreign ministers from 18 other nations, along with the heads of several international organizations, including the United Nations and the Arab League and the World Bank.

The goal is to reach consensus on what needs to be done to resolve the conflict, which has claimed the lives of more than 200,000 people and forced millions to live as refugees since it began in 2003 :( More to come on this...

On a somewhat related issue, our local Amnesty chapter's (Vancouver Westside) next meeting will have a special focus on human rights in Columbia. We'll have a new Amnesty video and some petitions in addition to our monthly letter writing. New members are welcome!